


Back-Up Plan

by Konpeki_no_Sora



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Christmas Presents, F/M, Genderbending, Non-Idol AU, nanase parents are included but only briefly, on iori's part, the ryuuten is there but mentioned only
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:13:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21946390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Konpeki_no_Sora/pseuds/Konpeki_no_Sora
Summary: A week before Christmas, Riku searched for a suitable gift to bestow to Iori on the big day. Iori had to help out at Fonte Chocolat together with Mitsuki on Christmas Eve and there were some complications along the way.Written for the i7 Secret Santa 2019 event.
Relationships: Izumi Iori & Izumi Mitsuki, Izumi Iori/Nanase Riku, Kujou Ten & Nanase Riku, Kujou Ten/Tsunashi Ryuunosuke
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Back-Up Plan

**Author's Note:**

  * For [moedango](https://archiveofourown.org/users/moedango/gifts).



> This is written as part of i7 Secret Santa 2019 event, with the recipient being none other than [moedango](https://twitter.com/moe_dango) herself. Hoping that this is the good gift worth savoring, even with me doing the genderbent Iori for the first time. Yes, Iori is the only female in this story.
> 
> And in this AU, Riku doesn’t have his respiratory illness and Tenn is a Nanase compared to his canon counterpart, studying overseas. 
> 
> Nonetheless, Merry Christmas, everyone!

_This is it._

“Riku, that’s for Izumi Iori, correct?” Tenn asked as he closed his laptop after shutting the device off. The pink-haired male noticed his brother being busy with something.

Riku nodded, smiling as he worked on tying the bow. A week ago, thanks to his part-time job, he was able to save enough for some expenses and a huge chunk of it was put into buying the Christmas present for Iori. Today was currently Christmas Eve and Tenn came home for winter break from his overseas studies. He had helped Riku decorate the tree in the Nanase household for a few days now and the entire thing was finally done just in time for this day. 

“To be fair, I am still worried over you having her as your girlfriend. She does tend to be a bit too overbearing towards you.” Through that statement,Tenn let out his protective sibling demeanor towards the red-head.

Riku nodded, “Iori can be quite a handful, but she does care about me. Plus, when she smiles, she looks amazing.” He then gave the box a gentle pat, satisfied with his handiwork. Iori had called him earlier that she would be late for tonight because of helping out at Fonte Chocolat, but he simply said that he would be looking forward to that. She simply huffed, calling him a simpleton and telling him not to disturb her at work before hanging up. “Say, Tenn-nii, you plan to meet up with Tsunashi-san later, correct?”

Tenn blushed lightly; Tenn and Ryuu were in a long-distance relationship, having only met whenever Tenn would be allowed to arrive home in Japan. It was mostly through Skype that the two were communicating during their free time. “I’ll just wait and see about that. No promises.”

“Nonetheless, I am sure that it will be fun,” Riku grinned. Tenn simply nodded, smiling back.

“I’ll help out with the dinner feast and house cleaning after my bathroom break. You can head to the kitchen first if you like,” was all the pink-haired male said before standing up and leaving the room. Riku took that as a cue to do the same, but heading downstairs afterwards.

* * *

“Iori, can you come here for a second?” Mitsuki called his younger sister, a small sheet of paper in hand. 

The raven-haired girl, with her hair tied into a ponytail during her entire shift, picked up the glasses, utensils and plates from the recently emptied table. “What is it, Nii-san?” she asked as she lifted the tray with both hands, the movements being precise as usual to avoid anything from falling down. After setting the tray aside for the dishwasher to clean up, she sauntered beside Mitsuki, staring at the list.

“Sorry about that. We are short of a few ingredients, especially strawberries. We have a delay with the last few orders for the special Christmas cakes and they won’t be complete without the strawberries,” the ginger-haired apologized. 

She frowned slightly. “I did order some ingredients in advance days ago. What happened?”

“Sadly, the delivery will be delayed because of the weather. We are pressed on time right now,” Mitsuki explained. He knew how Iori hated it when some things wouldn’t go along as planned, but there were some situations that were inevitable.

Iori nodded, being honestly disappointed but compliant, “I’ll see what I can do. But how about you, Nii-san?”

“Ah, don’t worry. I can handle the rest. Your suggestion of hiring a few more people for part-time jobs did help a lot,” Mitsuki grinned, attempting to reassure her. “Just make sure to arrive home safely, okay?”

The female’s lips curled into a small smile, “I will.” That was all she said before preparing herself to leave. 

* * *

_I have to give him a surprise._

That was what occupied Iori’s mind at the moment as she busied herself buying groceries that were in the list. Her plan was a scarf so that Riku would feel extra warm with the chilly weather. She checked it out a few days ago, the design being laden with rabbits. Not that she would consider such aesthetic to be crucial; the practicality was what mattered to her. Unfortunately, her free time was limited with the family business being chaotic during the holiday season. She volunteered to help out now that winter break had started, after all.

After some time in buying the ingredients, she approached the fruit section for the strawberries. Unfortunately, the shelves for the red fruit were empty. Not even a single basket was spared for her. Iori became crestfallen and rummaged for her phone from her bag. With her brother as recipient, she texted him the bad news.

_"Nii-san, the trip will take longer. No strawberries in one supermarket. Will have to find more stores until I can acquire the strawberries.”_

After she sent the message, she fell in line among the others; the line unfortunately became long because of the rush. The girl decided to just calm down and go with the flow, even when the waiting time would be that long.

* * *

“I am glad to know that you have improved in making omurice, Riku,” Tenn said after eating a spoonful of their favorite childhood dish. The dinner preparations, as well as cleaning up the house for the most part, were still on-going but there was a small break with Riku offering to cook the family the delicious concoction. 

“Ehehehe… Thank you, Tenn-nii,” Riku spoke in gratitude, feeling embarrassed.

Mrs. Nanase, their mother, played a bit with the ketchup topping on the egg. “I am sure that the cute girlfriend of yours will be happy if you cook like this everyday. Who knows if she’ll one day become your wife?~” she teased.

“Mom!” Riku retorted, cheeks now as red as his hair. 

Mr. Nanase, the father, put his utensils down as he was done with the meal. “You did mention that you want to become a doctor. Best to finish your education before moving along with the plan with that suitor of yours,” he said, taking a sip of the water. 

“I mean… She does have her own dreams as well,” Riku said after finishing another spoonful of the omurice, “I don’t want her to sacrifice any of them just for me.”

Tenn took a sip of his drink and put the glass down on the table with a soft clang. “Good luck with your responsibility of being her caretaker if that will be the case,” he spoke seriously.

“You guys…” Riku frowned. He wasn’t liking the fact that he felt burdened with the possibilities, even if they may not be likely to become real in the future.

Thankfully, the mother interrupted with a clap. “Okay, shall we continue with the tasks now that we have had our fill?”

Collective words of affirmation followed not long after that.

* * *

Iori’s legs were definitely killing her, even though she was wearing sneakers fit for moving around for a long time. The trip ended with her having to travel to six grocery stores in hopes of finding at least one basket of strawberries and it was only at the sixth shop that the mission was finally accomplished. Mitsuki would have been fine with alternatives, but Iori, being the perfectionist that she always was, wasn’t going to have it. The customers would be disappointed without those strawberries so she had to move along with what was originally included for the cake, even if it meant having to take risks. 

The raven-haired female was now at the station, catching the last train back home. She settled down on one of the seats as soon as she entered the vehicle, the groceries laid onto her lap like they were fragile items. She was exhausted and was glad that she could finally go home. 

But then, that was when Iori suddenly remembered something.

_Oh no… The scarf for Nanase-san._

Great. She had been so focused on getting the job done for the family business that she had forgotten about the surprise for Riku completely. Iori didn’t want to admit, but it would pain her to notice him being crestfallen because of that mistake. With a heavy heart, she hung her head down as the train moved forward. No hope for a second chance knowing that the store for the scarf would be closed early on.

* * *

“I’m back, Nii-san.”

“Welcome back, Iori. Glad to see that you finally showed up with the ingredients and-” Mitsuki’s face shifted from joy to concern at the sight of his sister’s downcast eyes as she was still holding the groceries. “Are you okay?”

A manageable nod was her reply, “I’m just tired.” But deep inside, there was still the gnawing guilt and she started to overthink about what her boyfriend would say upon finding out that she would bestow him nothing. _I can’t tell Nii-san that I failed in my quest for the perfect gift for Nanase-san._

But the orange-haired male knew something was up. He gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder. “You may rest now, Iori,” he said, face lighting up with a caring smile, “I’ll take it from here.”

The raven-haired girl began to speak, “But Nii-san-”

Mitsuki waved his index finger. “Christmas Eve dinner will start later. Don’t make me repeat myself,” he admonished her gently. Iori had no other choice but to oblige, heading to her room upstairs. She laid down onto her bed after she took off her jacket and let it hang loose on her chair. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to fall unconscious for a brief moment.

It wasn’t long before Iori was called to dinner to share with Mitsuki, so she took a quick shower before getting changed. The feast was simple, but what caught her eye the most was a box tied and decorated with a ribbon, the same shade as Riku’s hair and eyes. A rectangular name tag was attached to the top, the red-head’s name written in black ink.

“Is that…?” Iori blinked.

“The Christmas cake situation was resolved thanks to your help, but there were some extra strawberries so I decided to bake a simple yet delicious strawberry shortcake. You should give this to Riku,” Mitsuki grinned, hands on his hips.

Iori blushed, “But I didn’t even ask for you to bake something for Nanase-san.”

“Your eyes did say a message to me,” he replied. Mitsuki always had a sibling’s intuition whenever Iori felt down. He would try his best to cheer her up and make the most of the situations. Though still, things had changed and Mitsuki’s wouldn’t always be there for her.

She sighed, knowing that she had been a terrible liar. “But don’t you dare tell this to your friends, okay? It is supposed to be between me and Nanase-san, after all.”

“Okay, okay. Now eat up. You do have a date to catch up later, after all,” the ginger-haired brother teased. 

And that was the cue for her to pout. “Even that one. Keep that to yourself.”

* * *

Riku was now at the park near the Christmas tree that stood tall like a giant. Vermillion eyes took in the sight of the decorations as well as the star on top. It reminded him of the times he and Tenn decorated the tree back home. Riku’s twin brother appreciated the post-dinner Christmas gifts before Riku left to meet up with Iori, but Tenn decided to sleep early for the trip to Okinawa the next morning.

The red-head sighed, a puff of breath forming into a small cloud due to the chilly air. Tenn gave him a thick scarf as a Christmas present, which complemented with his thick jacket and sweater. He smiled at the feeling of warmth the wound fabric provided, though there was one thing plaguing his mind.

_Iori did say that she would be late but… I hope that she’s okay._

“Nanase-san!!”

Iori finally showed up, also clad in a thick jacket. She was panting because of running all the way from Fonte Chocolat to the park. Her arms were stretched towards him, holding that cake box.

“Iori, is that-” Riku was asking but he was later interrupted.

“I’m sorry! I wasn’t able to buy the perfect gift for you so Nii-san had to bake this cake for me to give to you! Things had been hectic in the bakery! Again, I am sorry!” Her apology was insinuated in a loud scream. Riku gingerly picked up the box to inspect the cake inside. It was normal-looking, but what caught him off guard was the message scribbled with chocolate frosting.

_"Merry Christmas, Nanase-san. Hoping to spend more of these days with you in the future."_

_\- Iori_

Riku blushed, facing his girlfriend with a shy smile. “Thanks. I do like the message and the fact that your handwriting is good even with the frosting. I appreciate it.”

Iori gazed up at him, straightening her posture. She took in his expression and flushed harder, looking away. “It’s nothing special, really. Blame Nii-san for telling me to be sentimental with the message. And you better not make fun of it further and savor it,” she pouted. Her heart was skipping beats and she abhorred it, more so when the timing was off.

Riku chuckled. “You do look cute when you blush like that. I’ll make sure to eat the cake.”

“Shut up, you idiot!” she retorted at the compliment. When she stared right back at him, he was smiling. Stupid him, leading to that blood pressure spike. “Let’s just find a bench,” she suggested after calming down a bit.

By the time the two were finally at the bench, they were side by side. With the cake box close to Riku’s side, he spoke up first. “Don’t worry about the scarf, Iori. Tenn-nii gave it to me earlier as his gift since he came home from overseas,” he said.

Iori frowned, looking down even with a portion of her worries lifted away with the revelation. “Well, that’s good,” was all she managed to say.

Riku fished out the gift for Iori from his bag. “Here. It’s for you. I got a part-time job to earn more money so that I could buy this,” he said.

Iori was kind enough to accept the box. “But… this may be expensive, right? I said there is no need for you to spoil me like this,” she complained, but untied the ribbon and pulled out the top, anyway. Her eyes suddenly shone at the ruby pendant of the necklace. Together with the chain, the necklace was truly beautiful.

“What do you think, Iori?” he asked his girlfriend, hoping that she wouldn’t get offended. While it was true that it wasn’t an actual necessity for him to spoil her, she deserved the best whenever the opportunity allowed it. It was the thought that counted the most even with the earlier mishap. 

Her voice was soft as she spoke“I have to admit that this is amazing. Thank you.” Her blush was there, but her smile was gentle as the expression graced her face. 

And without hesitation, Riku snatched the box. “Let me help you wear it.”

“W-what?!? There is no need!” she protested, but Riku picked up the necklace from the box.

“You can hide it in your blouse later. For now, just wear it,” he suggested.

Iori gave in, taking off her jacket to reveal her long-sleeved blouse with the V neckline that reached a bit above her chest. She adjusted her chest-length hair to nudge it out of the way, allowing Riku to attach the chain close to her neck. When he was done, the heart-shaped ruby pendant reached close to her sternum, the gem shimmering under the light from the decorations. 

Iori gingerly touched the pendant with one hand, her fingers playing with the shape. “Cheesy that you chose the color that represents yourself so that I’ll remember you when you are away,” she said, getting the picture perfectly.

Riku laughed sheepishly, “Well, you got me, Iori. That’s my true intention, after all.”

Their interaction was suddenly impeded by the collective cheers of the crowd. Iori and Riku looked around, only to notice the tree being lit up to the brightest setting. The red-head beamed at the sight while his girlfriend left her mouth partially open, mostly in awe. “How beautiful…” he complimented as the tree became the center of attention for tonight.

Iori nodded, her smile being the most amazing sight for her boyfriend to notice. “Indeed, it is.”

Riku gradually reached for Iori’s hand nervously as he overlapped it with his own. She giggled, knowing that he would always be an idiot - her idiot boyfriend to be exact. She squeezed back gently, allowing the fingers to intertwine. 

Maybe a back-up plan wouldn’t be so bad, after all. Iori should always remember that.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, feel free to leave a kudos and comment if you like this fic.
> 
> Also, feel free to scream at me about i7 stuff on Twitter: @divergent_idol


End file.
